Jaromir Jagr and the three rookies.
It's not a rock band or a children's book. It's the formula the New York Rangers used to deny Martin Brodeur his 500th NHL victory.
Jagr scored a power-play goal in the second period, and the rest of the Rangers' offense against Brodeur in their 4-2 win over the Devils last night in Newark, N.J., was provided by the young trio of Nigel Dawes, Brandon Dubinsky, and defenseman Marc Staal.
"It's a great mix. It reminds me of teams we had here," said former Devils forward Scott Gomez, who had two assists. "They've answered the bell and the challenge and we expect it."
Gomez withstood the boos he heard every time he touched the puck in his first game back in New Jersey since leaving the Devils for the Rangers as a free agent in the summer.
He has a seven-game point streak, which has coincided with the turnaround of New York's season. The Rangers are 2-0 halfway through their four-game road trip and have won seven of eight while allowing just 11 goals.
Dawes got the Rangers even at 1 in the first period, Dubinsky gave them the lead in the second, and Staal pushed the advantage to 4-1 in the third.
Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves to earn his first road win of the season (1-5-1).
Brodeur was 9-0-1 with a 1.18 goals-against average in the 10 previous home games against the Rangers, all at the Meadowlands.
"He had so many good games against us," Jagr said. "He loves to play against the Rangers. It's nice to get him back a little bit.
Brodeur remained stuck at 499 wins, second only to league record-holder Patrick Roy, who retired with 551. Brodeur, who made 20 saves, will have to wait until at least tomorrow to get the milestone victory when the Devils face the Islanders.
Jamie Langenbrunner scored twice in his first game following offseason surgery. He gave the Devils a 1-0 lead just 35 seconds into his first shift after missing 17 games following sports hernia surgery.
Lightning 6, Hurricanes 1 - Vincent Lecavalier had three goals and two assists to set a team record with his sixth consecutive multipoint game and pace a home rout for Tampa Bay.
Lecavalier scored twice and also assisted on goals by Paul Ranger and Martin St. Louis during a five-goal second period for the Lightning. Lecavalier, who has five goals and 11 points over his past six games, completed the hat trick with a shorthanded breakaway goal with 5:09 remaining in the third.
Sharks 4, Stars 3 - Rookie Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau connected in the shootout after scoring regulation goals, and San Jose prevailed in Dallas in the Stars' first game since a major front office shakeup.
Sergei Zubov missed on the Stars' first shootout attempt, then Setoguchi connected on San Jose's leadoff shot. Jussi Jokinen shot wide in the second round for the Stars and Marleau beat goalie Marty Turco from the slot to give San Jose its third straight victory.
Oilers 1, Canucks 0 - Ales Hemsky scored the only goal in the shootout and Mathieu Garon notched 29 saves to lead Edmonton over host Vancouver.
Blue Jackets 4, Blackhawks 2 - Rick Nash, Sergei Fedorov, and Jason Chimera each had a goal and an assist as host Columbus broke a four-game skid.
